Palletizers for the production of confectioned units of articles on pallets are known from the prior art. An empty pallet, frequently a wooden pallet, a plastic pallet or a euro pallet, is provided in a loading station. On this pallet, the packaged goods, particularly confectioned goods in the form of bottle cases, disposable confectioned units or the like, are arranged.
When arranging the confectioned units of liquid containers which are configured by a shrink foil, single sheets of intermediate layers are positioned in general between two consecutive layers of confectioned units in order to stabilize the loaded pallets. A firm carton layer or cardboard layer is frequently used as a single sheet of an intermediate layer.
The confectioned units are lifted during palletization from a station providing confectioned units onto the pallet. A single sheet of an intermediate layer consisting of paper or carton is afterwards placed onto the layer of confectioned units, and a second layer of confectioned units is positioned onto said single sheet of intermediate layer by the station providing confectioned units.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,374 describes an apparatus for the loading of pallets with cartons which are arranged in layers, wherein single sheets of intermediate layers consisting of paper are used. The single sheet of intermediate layer is placed onto the carton layer by means of a rotatable cantilever arm having a suction holder. The paper is provided on a roll and cut to the correct size.
Canadian Patent Application CA 2500638 shows a palletizer which provides single sheets of intermediate layers from a roll, wherein the single sheets of intermediate layers are consecutively dispensed and coated with non-skid material during dispension.
German Utility Model DE 201 20 699 U1 describes the palletization of packaged goods by means of a palletizer consisting of three palletizing units, wherein the single sheets of intermediate layers are taken from a stockpile.
German Patent Application DE 36 27 577 A1 describes a palletizing station, wherein single sheets of intermediate layers, which consist of paper for example, are placed between individual product layers to secure them against tipping. The packaged goods are arranged onto the pallet by means of a lifting device and a product layer feed with a moveable sliding bottom. A paper storage is located beneath the sliding bottom, wherein said paper storage removes the single sheets of intermediate layers consisting of paper from a paper magazine.